7 Directors that Could Direct Marvel's Black Panther Film

As Marvel continues to search for a director for their Black Panther film in 2017, every comic nerd is throwing out names of possible candidates. Selma director Ava Duvernay met with Marvel months ago and opted not to take the job as she preferred having full control of the film. Don't worry...this isn't a bad sign. Marvel has its many points that they want each film to hit which often makes things difficult with most independent directors. This was shown when Edgar Wright and Marvel parted ways weeks before the filming of Ant-Man with the studio instead going with Peyton Reed. Although the decision was controversial at the time, the film turned out a critical and financial success. But this isn’t about Ant-Man. We're here to talk about directors that could direct Black Panther. Many believe that this film has to be directed by a black director. I strongly believe that the goal should be to find the best director, so I’m open to any talented director that desires to do the story justice. However, one could argue that a black director may have a more intimate relationship with the project. All of this aside, we’re looking at directors that we feel could do the character justice. So who would be fit for the job…

F. Gary Gray

With Straight Outta Compton dominating the box office and the excellent reviews in, F. Gary Gray has reminded us why we saw him as one of the next revelations in directing in the early 2000s. The main thing done masterfully in SOC is Gray's work on the characters, as he directed the courses of each character masterfully. He even manages to get a solid performance out of Oshea Jackson Jr (who had never acted before) as he sets each actor up for success. He's also shown his gift for directing character development in past films such as The Italian Job, Set if Off, and The Negotiator. Tackling the world of Wakanda in a film requires very profound characters to immerse the audience into the world, and Gray could undeniably accomplish this masterfully.

The Hughes Brothers

With films such as Menace II Society, Dead Presidents, and Book of Eli under their belt, Albert and Allen Hughes can definitely direct a dark and grounded narrative full of emotion. Their films always put the main characters in a harsh reality where there's constantly a sense of urgency in the midst of chaos. This would allow them to tell a slightly darker Black Panther story as this film would be well after the Civil War event. Perhaps, after the death of his father, T'Challa is left to navigate through a world that is slowly becoming more chaotic while simultaneously leading a nation. These guys wrote for the Black Panther character in the 90s, so they definitely know the character and have a close relationship with his mythos.

Antoine Fuqua

Although Southpaw underachieved slightly in theaters, there's no denying that Fuqua is a talented director. Commonly known for directing Training Day, Fuqua has always had a hand in action. As of late he's also directed The Equalizer and Olympus Has Fallen. Both films proved to be formidable action films and box office successes. Fuqua would definitely bring much needed action experience to the story.

Spike Lee

Ok...I know it's been awhile since Spike was at the forefront of directors. Almost 20 years to be exact. But the man still directs small projects and there's no denying that he has been one of the most innovative directors of all time writing and directing critically-acclaimed classics such as Malcolm X and Do the Right Thing, as well as a myriad of other critically successful films. As a matter of fact, Spike has the most critically successful films out of any African-American director. Marvel is known for reviving the career of Robert Downey Jr with the first Iron Man film, so why not do it with another proven talent. Spike's Black Panther would be cinematically inventive and immersive and would truly tackle other aspects of the character. Spike would be able to capture the political undertones of the character that have always distinguished Black Panther from other comics to make a smart and mature narrative. His experience with action may be very slim but this shouldn't be problematic as other directors such as the Russo brothers and Peyton Reed were able to work around their action inexperience to make solid comic book films.

Kathryn Bigelow

It almost seems like we shouldn't have to even run down her filmography but we'll do it for those of you that may not know. Bigelow is responsible for The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty, Point Break and even Strange Days. Bigelow has mastered how to properly juggle action with story and character showing her brilliance in The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty. Bigelow is also very talented when it comes to approaching political stories allowing for her to capture these aspects of Black Panther. The only problem with this pairing is that her darker tone may not be within the Marvel tone. Also, it's slightly far-fetched that she'd take the job.

Rick Famuyiwa

It's been awhile since Famuyiwa has had major attention but Dope has springboarded him back into the mainstream. He's shown with that film and Brown Sugar that he is capable of directing films with a lot of heart and very identifiable characters. Famuyiwa probably fits the Marvel tone the most out of these directors in this list as his quirky sense of humor is on par with that of the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy sense of humor.

Shonda Rhimes

Rhimes has taken over ABC Thursdays with Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, and her work on Grey's Anatomy. Although she has never directed a feature film of this caliber, neither did the Russo brothers prior to their directing debut. They went from writing and directing Community for NBC to directing Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, and the next two Avengers films. She is obviously capable of directing a brilliant film with her narrative talents. If she was given the chance, she could probably write and direct a very smart and deep Black Panther film.